‘Star Wars Episode 7′ Is Coming – Who Should Be Cast?

As you have surely heard, Disney bought Lucasfilm yesterday and promptly announced there would be three more Star Wars movies, with ‘Episode VII’ coming out in 2015.

The latest trilogy is going to pick up where ‘Return of The Jedi’ left off, meaning Luke, Han and Leia will all (presumably) be back. Of course the actors who played those roles will be 32 years older than they were when ‘Return of the Jedi’ came out so we don’t think they will be cast again, outside of possible flashforward scenes.

If we assume Disney won’t do something completely ridiculous — like make Mickey Mouse Luke Skywalker — that means there will be a completely new cast.

Here are our suggestions for what actors should play these already iconic roles. (We’re assuming that C3P0, R2-D2, Chewbacca and Darth Vader will be voiced by original actors Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and James Earl Jones, assuming they’re still kicking in 2015.)

Luke Skywalker, Ryan Gosling

Lucasfilm/Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Let’s face it, when we met Luke Skywalker back on Tatooine he was an annoying twerp. Yet as the franchise and his Jedi skills developed, his whiny boyishness started to fall away and he became more of traditional intergalactic hero. Given this progression, by Episode VII Luke should actually be pretty cool. There’s nobody cooler than Ryan Gosling. And, if you follow the 31-year-old’s exploits, there is reason to believe he might be a Jedi in real life.

Han Solo, Nathan Fillion

Lucasfilm/Valerie Macon, Getty Images

By playing rogue space smuggler Mal Reynolds on ‘Firefly,’ Fillion has basically already auditioned for the Han Solo role. The fact that he looks a bit like Harrison Ford isn’t hurting Fillion’s case either. Like Gosling, Fillion is Canadian, and putting two Canucks atop a ‘Star Wars’ bill might be tough for a red-blooded American to swallow. But, really, ‘Star Wars’ belongs to everybody. (Just as long as there is no Beiber or Jar Jar involvement.)

Princess Leia, Anne Hathaway

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Natalie Portman would’ve made a great Princess Leia. But, alas, she already played Leia’s mom Padmé Amidala in the prequel trilogy so that would just be weird and confusing. (And it’s another reason the prequel trilogy should’ve never happened.) Instead, we’ll go with Hathaway, who has the right kind of big brown eyes and spunk to play Luke’s sister/Han’s romantic foil.

Lando Calrissian, Don Cheadle

Lucasfilm/Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Who else could play a younger Lando? From ‘Oceans 11′ to ‘House of Lies,’ Cheadle has proven to be the smoothest actor around. (He was even cool playing Captain Planet.) Besides possessing Lando’s charisma and sense of humor, Cheadle is a trained dramatic actor who can bring gravitas to a character who hasn’t been seen onscreen since the days of Billy Dee Williams’ Colt .45 ads.

Emperor Palpatine, Hugo Weaving

Lucasfilm/Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Ian McDiarmid has done a great job portraying the evil Palpatine over the course of six movies. Isn’t it time to give someone else a shot at one of cinema’s greatest villains? Weaving would be perfect as the pre-elderly crone in a hood Emperor. Plus, if he appears in ‘Star Wars,’ Weaving (who appeared in ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies) will have pulled off the ultimate geek trifecta.

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